Candidates

Jim Boudreau

NDP

Ronnie Chisholm

PC

Amy Florian

GRN

Lloyd Hines

LIB

Current MLA: Ronnie Chisholm (PC), Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture

District profile: This is a large, rural and sparsely populated riding stretching along the Atlantic coast from Tangier and Sheet Harbour on the Eastern Shore to the town of Canso in the north, then west along the Strait to the port of Mulgrave.

Before 1999, the district was known as Guysborough-Port Hawkesbury and included all of Guysborough County and the towns of Port Hawkesbury and Port Hastings. Today, the riding still includes all of Guysborough County, but excludes those larger urban areas in Inverness County.

The town of Guysborough is the main service centre for the county of Guysborough in the north and derives some business from the Sable Offshore Project and gas plant in Goldboro.

Resource industries such as fishing and forestry remain important, while schools and hospitals are other major employers.

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2006 results

Candidate

Party

Vote count

Vote share

Elected

Ronnie Chisholm

PC

2,765

40.83%

X

Jim Boudreau

NDP

2,540

37.51%

Dave Horton

LIB

1,379

20.36%

Marike Finlay

GRN

88

1.3%

Voter turnout: 69.79 per cent in 2006

Political history

Traditionally, the Sheet Harbour area of the district has supported the PCs. Voters in Guysborough County have tended to alternate between Liberal or Conservative candidates.

The past decade, however, has seen the district painted Tory blue. Incumbent Ronnie Chisholm, a former warden of St. Mary's district, has served as the MLA for the past 10 years.

Jim Boudreau of the NDP made a strong showing here in 2006, taking 37.5 per cent of the vote to finish second.

2006:

Conservative Ronnie Chisholm was re-elected by 225 votes over New Democrat Jim Boudreau.

2003:

Chisholm received 38 per cent of the vote and defeated Liberal Gordon Macdonald by 388 votes. Boudreau was strong third for the NDP with 30 per cent.